Railway package-transferring device.



E.- B. HARRAL.

RAILWAY PACKAGE TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, l9l3- RENEWED MAY I2, I915 1,153,071.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

/3 WITNESSES E I fll/WENTOR 155? 75. 0/92/74 B M WWW. 11 HORNE y SCOLUMBIA PLANDURAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

E. B. HARRAL.

RAiLWAY PACKAGE TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12.1913. RENEWED 'MAY 12.1915.

1 1 53,07 1 Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LL W HHHIIII if;

WITNESSES INVENTOR I Lia /v5. HHP/PHL 4 TTORNEYS COLUMB 1A PLANOORAPHCO.,WASHXNUTON, n. c.

atman sra'ras raranr carton.

ELBERT BIRD HARRAL, or NEW-ORLEANS, LoUIsIA-NA.

RAILWAY PACKAGE-TRANSFERRING;DEVTCEQ Y Specification of Letters*IPate'ntJf Applicationifiled- April- 12, 1913, Seria1.-N-o. 760,727.RenewedMay 12, 1915. -'Seria1 No; 27 666.

To all whom it may concern Package Transferri-ng Devices; of which thefollowing isa specification;

My invention relates to railway-package transferring devices= I suchfor: instance as may be employed in transferring mail bags fromamail'carto st-atiomor from the station to the mail car, the m'oreparticular purpose of my invention being to provide an improved-'mechanism whereby the delivery of the package is accomplished with thepackageu-r- The manner in whichthe package is removed from' the fingers13 and transferred- -to the chuteis indicated ==1Il a mini-mum ofrisk,and in which the momentum or inertia of the' package isgra'duallyovercome by aidtof an inclined surface, or by causing the package toslide upona surface properlyvourved to check 1 the 'relaw tive motion"of the package Reference is made to the accompanying drawing "forming apart of this-specification, and in which like letters indicatezlikeparts. I

Flgure 1 1s a plan .viewshowingmy apparatus as used for transferrlng amail bag from a car to a: -'station;- "Fig."=2 -is" aside elevationshowing the station and a portionof my mechanism associated therewith.Fig. 3 is a detail showing in cross section one of the fingers used forhandling the package. Fig. 4 is an end .elevation of the flanges 12, thelatter being bent slightly outward or away from each other. A number offingers 13 made of metallic rods are connected withthe chute and extendtherefrom. These fingers are each provided with a rib 14, and with anupturned or hooked end 15. The chute 10 is provided with a slantingportion 16, that is, a portion forming an inclined plane surface. Thechute is further provided with a portion 17 which is curved in asubstantially horizontal plane. .A. railway car is shown at 18 and restsupona track 19'. The car carries an Patented Sept. .7, 1915.

arm20, this arm" being strengthened by I braces21. :Therarm is furtherprovided i with fingers 22, each of arcuate form. A package-28 suchasamail bagis rested upon' thefingers- 22, and'las the car passes to Fig.1, the package is engaged-by the the station and moves to theleftaccording overcome withoutinjuryto' the; contents of Fig. 2, the fingers*13' being shown by full relatively to the chute. c

For thepurpose of transferring the packthe arrangement shown in Fig. 5whic'h difi that according to Fig. the chute is carri'ed' by the car andthe meenamsmfor releasi1 g-the package is located at the'station.

The chute is shown at 24 and is preferably built a little more compactlythan the chute 10. but is otherwise similar to the latter.

The chute 24 is provided with side boards 11. having flanges 12. Thechute is also provided with fingers 25 having upturned ends 15, thesefingers, except for their mounting, being similar to the fingers 13shown in other figures. The station is shown at 26. and adjacent to thestation is a horizontally disposed arm 27. This arm as to structure issimilar to thearm 20, and it is similarly provided with braces 21 andfingers 22. A car is shown at 28. the chute 24 being mounted uponand-carried by it.

With the mechanism shown in Fig. 5, the package is placed upon thefingers 22 at the station 26. and as the car 28 passes this station thefingers 25 run beneath and between the fingers 22, thus lifting thepackage. The inertia of the package causes the package to glide upwardlyupon the chute and also to describe a curve so that the package thusgradually acquires the general travel motion of the car 28.

It will thus be seen that my device com prises two package handlingmembers, one located at a station and the other carried by a movablecar, one of the package handling members being for the purpose ofdischarging the package and the other being in the form of a chute forreceiving the package, the chute having a portion or surface serving asan inclined plane upon which the package may glide obliquely upward forthe purpose of overcoming the momentum or inertia, as the case may be,of the package,

as the latter is delivered to the member for receiving it. a

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown, the scope of myinvention being commensurate with my claims.

I claim 1. A railway package transferring device comprising a group offingers for holding and releasing a package, and a chute for receivingsaid package, said chute being provided with fingers having upturnedends, said chute being further provided with a portion inclinedobliquely in relation to the horizon for the purpose of causing thepackage to glide obliquely upwa'rd, saidachute being further providedwith a substantially horizontally disposed curved portion, saidcurved'portion and said obliquely inclined portion being for the purposeof arresting the momentum or. inertia" of the package as delivered tosaid chute.

2. A device of the character described comprising two package handlingmembers, one locatedflat a station and the other carried by a car, oneof said members being Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

provided with fingers for the purpose of portion and said fingers, saidlast mentioned portion being inclined obliquely in relation to saidhorizontally disposed portion.

3., A railway package transferring device comprising two packagehandling members,

one located at a station and the other car-' ried by a car, one of saidmembers being for the purposeof discharging the package and the otherhaving the form of a chute for receiving said package, said chute be ingprovided with a substantially horizontal portion and with a portioninclined obliquely downward from said horizontal portion, the inclinedportion being provided with fingers extending from it and spaced apart,said fingers virtually constituting a continuation of the inclinedportion, each of said fingers being provided with a rib integral with itfor the purpose of strengthening it.

ELBERT BIRD HARRAL. lVitnesses H. D. KNAPP,

PERCY S. BENEDICT.

Washington, D. O. I

